The Truth About Cats and Dogs in Black and White

Truth is just one person's reality. Here is mine in black and white (maybe some shades of gray). This blog has little to do with Cats or Dogs - just humourous sarcastic antics about my life or occasionally, someone else's. You know, intercepting volleyballs with my face, egg dropping, etc. The truth has seen some changes and in fluidity with change expect to see more artistic expressions posting up - so give your two cents worth!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Define Yourself

So let me ask you a question...What do you do? You must have been asked this question before... at a family gathering, a class reunion, a seedy nightclub, in line at the grocery store, in your favourite IM space. And what was your answer? Honestly?

A recent post "Quote" by the newly self-proclaimed Dancing Queen prompted me to post on something that I believe deeply and passionately. While the quote has a very obvious and good-willed moral I'm going to reflect on those first five words..."you are not your job." Now I know Laurie well, well fairly well and we have been going through our "jobs are getting us down" phase, which, I expect may have prompted the optimistic-flavoured quote post.

I studied Recreation back in the day, which included leisure studies. Now, stop laughing, and start taking me seriously again. We often got flack for the nature of our profession by people who can't take leisure seriously and why should they - its leisure, recreation. So what does this have to do with the question at hand, What do you do? Simple, most people tend to identify with their job, primarily or career, secondly. For example, primary response "I am a Heritage Interpreter" or secondary response "I work in the social sciences." But why not answer with what really defines us - the actions we have the "freedom to" choose that gives us the "freedom from" our other worldly obligations. For example, "Hmmm...what do I do...well I love spending a lot of time outdoors." or "I often love to bbq and listen to great music on the deck."

It is actually quite difficult to define who we are by something other than our work environments. I suppose if your job were professional surfer it may be different. But there is so much more to us then what we get paid to do between 9 and 5 (generalising), what really makes us tick. If you can't figure out the answer then you have lost yourself in the rungs of the capitalist ladder, suffered the truest case of identity theft, sold the essence of you to the highest bidder. So here is my challenge job-centric blog goers - what do you do?

Unknown 11:43 p.m.
Comments...

What do I do eh? My usual response is of course the job related one. With deeper reflection I've decided that I learn. I love to learn about anything and everything that I can. Quench my insatiable thirst for knowledge...that's what I do.

posted by Blogger Laurie Roche : 12:21 a.m.  

Good one...congrats...you have answered your deeper life's questions...the essense of who you are is your desire to participate in the learning process.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 12:23 a.m.  

I'm a writer...took me awhile to figure it out and I'm still learning out how to do it, but that's it. I write at work, I write at home. I write on vacation. I write every day and if I don't, I feel weird.

Surprises the heck out of me every time. Never thought that's who I would be going through school. I always thought I would be an astronaut.

posted by Blogger towniebastard : 1:06 a.m.  

I think the greatest thing in life is to figure out who you are, and then get paid for doing it. :)

I do see where your coming from in this post, but there are certain professions that do define the person. A doctor for example, is not just a job, it is a way of life. After medschool, you are a doctor 24 hours a day, not just 9-5, it defines how you eat,sleep and breathe. (at least the people who study medicene to help others, and not the ones that have done it because mommy and daddy said to.)

so after my little rant there, i will say that I am physicist. (Soon to be environmental scientist/physicist) and I think it suits me very well. :)

cheers, love reading this blog.

- Charlie

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 1:01 p.m.  

I don't know about the doctor thing. My best friend is a doctor and to me she's more than that. She did it for the right reasons too. Maybe I don't think of her just as a doctor because I've known her for so long.

But she was among the people who told me last year that you can't let your job define who you are.

posted by Blogger Laurie Roche : 3:41 p.m.  

I didn't say what I do...

The deepest philosophical answer is: I'm a seeker. Yes, kinda like Harry Potter. I look for tiny little snitches, at work, at home, in my sleep, while trying not to fall off my broom. Well not snitches...truths. Laurie is a learner and I am a seeker, very compatible qualities. I have to be finding answers, discovering new truths. Constant, continual, seeking.

A less mystical answer is: I am a conservationist. Conservation is important to the way I work and to the way I live. And it is only natural that the work I choose and the pasttimes I choose fit the mold.

It doesn't matter if you find what you love and get paid for it. It still isn't the essence of you. At any given moment I am an artist, a singer, a dancer, a cook, a decorater, a designer...all things I love and I could have been paid for and some that I have been paid for (at some point).

Perhaps the essence of some doctors is the healing aspect, for some a humanitarian focus, and for some part of an internal power struggle. But if the answer to the question of "what do you do" is simply "doctor" then I don't buy it.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 4:48 p.m.  

I think as an issue of semantics when someone asks a person "What do you do", they are not asking them to define themselves or being philosophical. It's the colloquial way of asking about someone's job or career.

On the other hand, I was being interviewed by a newspaper on Friday and whenasked what I do, my first response was love my wife.

The interviewer thought it was cute, but she then asked "For work?"

posted by Blogger justacoolcat : 8:27 p.m.  

Yes, but we assume that is the context because it is engrained in society that what we do defines our worth. And sure there are jobs that may be more nodle then others some have a choice and some do not.

On a separate note...I love ballet and after 13 years of it I still couldn't find anyone to pay me for it.

I think it was cute.

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:55 p.m.  

oops...that was me.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 11:55 p.m.  

Periferal visionary.

Outlaw in Argentina....

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:06 p.m.  

Only in Argentina? I'm disappointed in you. I'd at least expect 5 countries.

posted by Blogger Laurie Roche : 6:35 p.m.  

I was starting alphabetically...

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:49 p.m.  

hehehe

posted by Blogger Unknown : 7:04 p.m.  

if only it was meant to be funny...

Anyways heres a funny thing for you, went to a Catholic service yesterday. During the sermon, the Priest made reference to the Davinci Code/Judas Gospel and something else I can't remember as I was way too drunk, and making eyes at the hot chick 3 rows up... Anyways he warned the congregation that these works were against the church, and while "interesting", they were not "fascinating", repeating this point 4-5 more times in the sermon. Did I miss something in grade 7 religion class? Perhaps a theological difference between "interesting" and "fascinating"???

Is that wierd/funny or is it just me??

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:18 p.m.  

That is weird. Almost as weird as you actually going to church. And a Catholic one at that. We had no such warnings but really I don't remember what the sermon was about. I have highly developed skills for tuning him out. There was no hot guy...don't know what I was thinking about. No memory of those 5 to 10 minutes.

posted by Blogger Laurie Roche : 7:22 p.m.  

I like to keep things interesting, a Catholic Church 40 KMS from my house seemed like a great way to celebrate Easter. Imagine my surprise when I found out the REAL meaning of Easter was not that if the baby jesus came out of the tomb and saw his shadow we would have six more weeks of winter. I get so confused sometimes....

Anyways I found it strange that there seemed to be a clear theological difference in his mind, or at least with the implications behind the words "interesting" and "fascinating". I'll be using that at work all next week! "Why is that work not done??? [angry boss], [BM]"well I thought it was interesting, but not fascinating...just ask the preist.."

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:35 p.m.  

The first hehehe must have been mistaken for sincere laughter. HAHAHA! (sincere laughter) directed at most recent comments re: the REAL meaning of Easter. For future reference... Hehehe (sarcastic snickering). Although it is often used for cute giggles and general silliness as well. You must decipher the code.

I am glad to see everyone back an commenting. Although I am supposed to be writing I have a bit of block as my thesis is "interesting, but not fascinating."

I didn't go to Church, no surprise there, and therefore no hot women, well men, to distract me. I did have two uber-excited kids though. They did a fine job of "amusement and distraction" (Dewey's comments of what education should not be).

Also, were there any thunderstorms in Ottawa yesterday? I hope you steered cleared of lightening.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 9:04 p.m.  

I need to work on my code bustin'

Keep up this "interesting" bit, I'm sure it will catch on across the land. This may in fact be the first time that organized religion and I are moving in the same direction, I'm all "goose bumpley" !! :-)

Yesterday reminded me of the "Father Ted" line:

[Father Ted] I'm not a facist. Facists dress in black and go around telling people what to do..."

There may have been thunder earlier in the day. It was cloudy/rainy, but by mid morning it had become somewhat sunny and very windy. Reminded me of home actually.

Probably for the best I did not notice, I may have taken it as a sign from God to stop checking out the ladies in his crib, and to feck off back to my own church. That would have made me weep...

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 9:22 p.m.  

Hmmm...I'll stick with mystical nature walks and spiritually enlightening yoga practice.

I think I will go light some incense and meditate before bed.

I had one of my infinite packing dreams again...there I am packing but can't seem to finish...there is always something forgotten.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 11:40 p.m.  

What do I do? Well, right now, I am in transition to what I will be...and that is a successful writer with my own production company. That is my destiny and only we ensure our destiny is met.

Now what I do is something completely different because what I do is live life to the fullest potential it offers: travel, hike, cliff-dropping, surviving death...and the list could continue on.

Never ever mention the term Fight Club out loud. There is no Fight Club.

posted by Blogger Creative Director : 5:02 p.m.  

We are all in some sort of transition...

surviving death is a particularly neat challenge. I may have defied it once, outbattled perhaps...but never survived...you are superman!

Good to hear from you superman, come again, don't mind your shoes.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 6:51 p.m.  

Theres no cheatin' the reaper.

There is a great series out on DVD "Dead Like Me". Very clever writing and very funny. Unfortunatly it was cancelled after the second season, but its still worth a look.

posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:52 p.m.  

No cheatin' the reaper? Oh I oppose Big Mountain; I oppose most definitely. My brother and I (the same one who gave me the moniker superman) once had a conversation about that same idea...and I told him that I believed God and the Devil played a game of cards for my soul while I slept.

God won. I woke up to a new life.

I wish I could give more details at the present time but that will have to wait until my book is published. Yes, Death does come for us all, or so they say...but what if you have a higher purpose? What if you were granted another chance to breathe again?

What would you change? How would you live? I only hope this is not coming off like a sermon from the pulpit, but if it makes you stop and think, then I have enjoyed my brief stint on the soapbox.

I tapped the dust from the road less travelled off my shoes before I entered. Thanks for having me.

Carpe diem.

posted by Blogger Creative Director : 12:47 p.m.  

How did I attract such religious folk to my blog is the question of the day. As we all know, I enjoy a spiritualistic philosophy on life (and death). One that involves non-labelled entities, liberal values, and perhaps a little non-conformity all around.

posted by Blogger Unknown : 1:50 p.m.  

It's funny to come across this today - I had been chatting with Himself (my other half) today about identity, particularly his and how it's active (usually, but not always, work). I've had a blog brewing on this subject, maybe I should get on with it.

I'm a painter myself, but it neither pays my bills nor is it my only identity, none of us does just one thing (how dull;)

posted by Blogger tanker belle : 10:32 p.m.  


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